If you are looking at Phoenix I would recommend looking at the east valley, with the new airport, the Apple plant and some major housing developments there is a lot going on here.

I want to buy the home (apples) but he wants to sell the business (oranges) too.

If you don't have an Apple device (I have an Android phone), you can listen to them on Stitcher.  

Check all the different "amounts" to make sure it is really apples to apples.

Looking deceiving simple - NOI / price pad - they are only really useful if comparing apples to apples in the same bushel ... and it helps if the same person is doing the calculations on them all (using the same methodology obviously).Even then it is just a ratio which allows you to quickly compare the cost of the similar cashflows ... it doesn't confirm any of them as a good investment.

Apple, Google, and IMO the often overlooked NVIDIA.

On the other end, I think we have enough for a down payment on something that would produce more regular income such as an apartment building or complex but feel like we might be too green to do that on our first bite at the real estate investing apple.

This will allow apples to apples comparison because everyone is biding on the exact about of piers needed.

I've never had a problem with any of my tenants in my single family condos which are located in Los Angeles, but that is obviously not an apples to apples comparison.

They are like apples and monkeys.